Israeli scientists conducted several experiments using sweetener-doped water in normal mice resulted in abnormally high glucose and changed the guts' microbial makeup. Fecal transplants from humans into healthy mice produced similar changes.

"A team of Harvard scientists said Thursday that they had finally found a way to turn human embryonic stem cells into cells that produce insulin. The long-sought advance could eventually lead to new ways to help millions of people with diabetes."

The concept of oral insulin as a way to relieve diabetics of daily injections has been around for decades, but making it happen is extremely difficult. Its phase two clinical trials were declared a success by the US FDA.

Watch the amazing poet Gabriel Cortez raise awareness around Type 2 diabetes by connecting our diets with history in "Perfect Soldiers," a new film for The Bigger Picture project (thebiggerpicture.org).

Similar to any individual living with a weakened immune system or compromised body systems due to chronic disease, those with diabetes-related complications may be susceptible to increased risk and impact of foodborne illnesses.

Last month the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) reaffirmed in a report that fiber-rich whole grains lower the risks of diabetes and heart disease. Media outlets such as Reuters duly reported the news, but many failed to point out a crucial detail:

Last Thursday, in a combined meeting of separate FDA advisory committees, 20 of 26 panelists voted to recommend removing or modifying Avandia's highly restrictive label and distribution system. Five voted to keep the restrictions in place, while one panel

Children's hospitals are supposed to help fight disease But many also host fast-food restaurants and cafeterias that seem to go against the hospital's mission to keep kids healthy. Patient menus feature high-fat, meat-heavy items that put children at risk

Driving this surge was the rise of cheap high-fructose corn syrup, used heavily by the beverage industry beginning in the early 1980s, the consumption of which went from 19 pounds annually per capita in 1980 to more than 60 pounds by 1999.